By Any Means: Wahlberg, Yahya and a Rift with History

There’s a charged silence in the opening minutes of By Any Means — a quiet that promises retribution and then refuses to let you look away. The film, directed by Elegance Bratton and written by Sasha Penn, gathers a notable cast: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Mark Wahlberg, Nicole Beharie and Giancarlo Esposito. It wears the trappings of a crime thriller, but its heartbeat is historical reckoning.

Short sentences here. Long sentences there. The movie moves between tense set pieces and reflective scenes that aim to probe old sins and the messy road to justice. At times it feels like a courtroom drama rewritten as a heist film; at others, like a moral fable bent toward daylight. There’s ambition on every frame, even when the narrative balance teeters.

Critics have been split. On Rotten Tomatoes, By Any Means sits at 67 percent from 27 reviews, while Metacritic lists a 57 out of 100 based on 12 critics — numbers that suggest more conversation than consensus. Some reviewers applaud the film’s urgency and performances; others question its storytelling choices.

IndieWire, awarding one of the higher marks, argues that viewers already sympathetic to the film’s message will find satisfaction in the protagonists’ fight for accountability, and that the movie’s bold packaging might introduce its themes to a wider audience. TheWrap echoes the sentiment about performance, singling out Abdul-Mateen II for bringing near-constant intensity to his role.

Screen Rant lands in the middle: solid acting, confident direction, but a story that doesn’t always deliver the emotional clarity or character depth it promises. In that review’s view, the film’s central point — that justice is rarely neat or guaranteed — is persuasive, even when the plot isn’t razor-sharp.

The Guardian describes By Any Means as both powerful and unsettling, a movie that lingers. Yet not everyone comes away convinced. The Hollywood Reporter found the mixing of familiar dramatic beats with less-familiar historical context uneasy and occasionally clumsy, while Variety issued a harsher critique, raising concerns about some of the film’s portrayals and a scene they felt undercut the movie’s stated aims.

So where does that leave viewers? With performances that often salvage the film’s stumbles, and with a director unafraid to confront violence and guilt in ways that will make many audience members squirm. It’s a film that invites debate rather than tidy answers.

If you’re drawn to morally complicated thrillers that wear their politics on their sleeve, By Any Means will give you plenty to talk about. If you prefer your historical drama with cleaner lines and fewer provocations, this one might test your patience — and your patience is part of the point.

Either way, it’s a movie that asks: how far is too far when you’re trying to make history reckon with itself?